Physical Construction:
- The walkman is a large, bulky, rectangular device. The earphones typically used when the walkman came out were also very large, making the device even harder to carry around. The iPod on the other hand is very sleek, light-weight, and very portable. The whole device (including earphones), fits into ones pocket very easily.
Interface Design:
- The walkman is moderately user-friendly. There are key words on the device (e.g. play, pause) to assist the user. The iPod is not initially user-friendly. The circle on the iPod does not directly indicate how to use the device. One must become accustomed to the device for a little bit before one is comfortable with the device. However, once one is accustomed to the iPod, it is extremely easy to use because of the simplistic design.
Technology:
- The walkman only allows an individual to listen to one tape at a time. The walkman also only holds music, and nothing else. On the other hand, the iPod can hold an individual's entire music collection. Today's iPod can hold thousands of songs, and pictures, and hours of video.
Delivery of Sound:
- The iPod has custom design "earbuds" that come with the device. The sound quality is decent for a headphone, though not as good as other types of headphones on the market right now. The sony walkman headphones were typically much larger, and the quality was not as good.
LAB 1: The Sony Walkman versus The Apple iPod:
Physical Construction:
- The walkman is a large, bulky, rectangular device. The earphones typically used when the walkman came out were also very large, making the device even harder to carry around. The iPod on the other hand is very sleek, light-weight, and very portable. The whole device (including earphones), fits into ones pocket very easily.
Interface Design:
- The walkman is moderately user-friendly. There are key words on the device (e.g. play, pause) to assist the user. The iPod is not initially user-friendly. The circle on the iPod does not directly indicate how to use the device. One must become accustomed to the device for a little bit before one is comfortable with the device. However, once one is accustomed to the iPod, it is extremely easy to use because of the simplistic design.
Technology:
- The walkman only allows an individual to listen to one tape at a time. The walkman also only holds music, and nothing else. On the other hand, the iPod can hold an individual's entire music collection. Today's iPod can hold thousands of songs, and pictures, and hours of video.
Delivery of Sound:
- The iPod has custom design "earbuds" that come with the device. The sound quality is decent for a headphone, though not as good as other types of headphones on the market right now. The sony walkman headphones were typically much larger, and the quality was not as good.